re: Ranking the 1-Loss Playoff Teams by Quality Wins

quote:

---

They absolutely should have been. But, much like Baylor and Utah this year, those teams don't get national discussion most of the time.

---

So what you are telling me is that programs like Alabama always get the benefit of the doubt. That's kind of exactly what I've been saying.

The thing is, they weren't. No one thought Wisconsin belonged in the Playoff once they lost to Ohio State. And immediately following the game, every talking head at ESPN framed the debate as between Alabama and Ohio State. I wonder why?

quote:

---

Per Sagarin Rankings
Wisconsin
Avg Opp : #53
0-1 vs Top 10
3-1 vs Top 30
5-1 vs Top 50

---

quote:

---

Alabama
Avg Opp : #59
0-1 vs Top 10
3-1 vs Top 30
4-1 vs Top 50

---

So basically it boiled down to this:

Alabama = Wisconsin

Resumes were pretty much equal.

But everyone was also in agreement that Ohio State > Wisconsin since OSU just beat them head-to-head on a neutral field and Ohio State won the Big 10 Championship.

Well that's a pretty simple mathematical formula.

If Ohio State > Wisconsin.... and Wisconsin = Alabama, then Ohio State is obviously > Alabama

Yet everyone wants to pretend you're a conspiracy theorist for proposing such a notion. It's actually quite obvious to me.

No one had a problem with Ohio State coming in ahead of Wisconsin despite the fact that OSU had 2 losses. No one even contemplated that morning whether OSU would be ahead of Wisconsin. Everyone knew Ohio State would be in the #4 or #5 spot.

So if no one had a problem with OSU being ahead of Wisconsin despite an extra loss, why does everyone have a problem with them being ahead of Bama?